Iris boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 30 of 170

Bikes were top quality, guides (Thomas and Wim) were fun, cook was excellent - food choices good. Iris (the barge) beds were comfortable. Hostess/waitress was very helpful. Crew (Kevin) was available and very nice. Captain did a great job navigating. Days riding (6) were well planned out with frequent breaks, so no sore bottoms. Room was small (as expected on a barge) but more than adequate. Private shower larger than expected. Next time I go I will remember to bring magnetic hooks for more hanging space. It was a great trip.

Very well organized, everything was nicely done. My only negative feedback is that the daily stops were too many and much too long! There is no need for a 40 minute coffee break at 10am when we had just begun riding at 9am. The lunch breaks were also too long, I would much have preferred riding for an hour+ and then stopping for a quick break. Breaks could have been 20 minutes. The stop in Trier was also too long at almost 3 hours, it was unexpected and we were not prepared to be left on our own to kill that amount of time. It would have been better to have spent that time riding, or at least give us a heads up that we would be on our own so plan accordingly, in my opinion it was a waste of time.

The wine tasting experience was quite special and helpful in understanding the viniculture of the region. The 850’ climb was a challenge but very memorable in terms of the amazing views of the valley.

The food & service onboard were excellent, and the guides were helpful and attentive.

We had a great time once again on the Iris. The crew and guides were the best. Train travel on the weekends can be tricky but not impossible because of scheduled track maintenance. Electric bikes are always the best choice no matter what.

We were supposed to do the Mosel but lack of water changed us to the Netherlands. Boat was very comfortable, chef was great and staff very warm and helpful. Owner graciously transported us to the starting point from our original location as well as back to the endpoint so that we could make our connections.

Although the trip was rerouted to The Netherlands I thoroughly enjoyed the biking and exploring the various cities that we rode through. All of the staff were wonderful.
It would have been nice to at least cruise an hour or two on the barge. If you biked every day this did not happen. Other than that it was a wonderful experience.

The terrific barge is owned by a Dutch family and the entire crew was Dutch. That was a plus, they were all excellent and perhaps this factor brought in several other English speaking mountain, e.g. UK, New Zealand and Australia.. This trip surpassed our expectations!

The terrific barge is owned by a Dutch family and the entire crew was Dutch. That was a plus, they were all excellent and perhaps this factor brought in several other English speaking mountain, e.g. UK, New Zealand and Australia.. This trip surpassed our expectations!

The people! We had 16 others, all of whom we enjoyed. Appreciated the efforts to help us get to know each other. Also enjoyed the food, the friendliness of staff, the route, the stops... the whole experience!

Very friendly and capable crew and bike tour leader. I highly recommend this tour if you are a bike rider. If you're planning on using an electric bike- test ride one mear your home to insure it's good for you.

Unusual and excellent itinerary starting in Amsterdam and ending in Paris. Beautiful barge with lovely accommodations and amazing, stunningly presented food. Nice group size.

On the whole I enjoyed this trip but I do not recommend e-bikes for novice riders or anyone not in good physical shape. The e-bikes were certainly high quality but very heavy and difficult to manage in the crowded cities. The route is flat and I believe a regular bike would have been just fine. The guides, crew, staff, scenery, cities, events and accommodations were all stellar! The meals were top notch-everything was wonderful but again, I feel there needs to be something to warn people that heavy e-bikes are not for everybody. I ride an e-bike at home but it’s half the weight of the ones used by the touring company.

Bike rides led by our guides were terrific. Even soaked to the skin on the one rainy day was memorable. The food was plentiful and suppers were terrifically tasteful and delicious. Crew was very sociable and knowledgeable.

Stopping at the cheese farm was amazing! Even though it was cold, breezy & occasionally rainy, if you have the correct gear you're good. Tim & Hetty were amazing guides. Always compassionate & ready to change course if needed.Barge was lovely. Snacks awaiting our return each day. All the staff were kind & helpful.

The IRIS barge was great as was the crew. Couldn’t have been more supportive or helpful. I would Not call this a tulip tour-almost all tulips were dead headed. Tulip tours need to end two weeks prior to our tour. We did not see the massive fields of tulips, we did not ride along roads filled town tulips - we were post season.

Exceeded all our expectations except one. The guides were extraordinary; knowledgeable, kind and helpful in every way. The rides were the right combination of challenging but doable at every level and filled with so many interesting and fun stops. The activities were terrific including beer tasting, cheese, culture and history as well as special treats and events all included e.g pancake lunch, admission fees to special places and the windmill tour. The boat staff could not have been more delightful and accommodating and the cook’s meals and the wine pairing were superb. The captain too was such an interesting, happy person, making the travel on the canal that much more fun. Everyone seemed to do their job with passion and joy sharing that with the passengers.
The only criticism is that we more notice should have been given of the “State of the Tulips”. We were not aware that all the fields would be trimmed. But the Keukenhof gardens were spectacular. I highly recommend this trip

Service was great. The crew was friendly, professional and caring. The food was very good and plentiful. The bikes were great and while our weather was not 100%, the biking was good. Lots of extra tours. I would recommend the Iris and their tours to everyone.

A great crew/team on the Iris leaves us with very high expectations for future bike/barge trips.
The food was great and the bikes were perfect.
We loved the back roads and bike paths chosen for our rides.

The Food, the crew, bike leaders and our fellow riders were Fun

Carol and I enjoyed our trip on the IRIS. The sheft was excellent and food was great. We enjoyed the walks at different locations surveying the different cities we stopped at. My only complaint was that we were requested by the guides to not participate in the bike riding portion of the trip. Since we had limited use of the electric bikes we rented, I would request a refund of the 340 Euros that we paid to use the electric bikes.

Country side riding. Excellent crew. The crew was excellent. Boat was nice

We enjoyed biking in the countryside along the farm fields and the canals.

Definitely the guides & all of the crew were great. Both Alice & Thomas were brilliant & Sabrina was wonderful. Friendly, informative & helpful

The whole trip was laid out oerfectly. Staff was great especially our guide Alice!

Booking agent (Kirsten) was fabulous, guides and staff, fantastic and knowledgeable of all areas. Food was great, cabins, clean and good size. Bikes were in excellent condition. Loved the scenery, stops along the way — castle, gardens…
Guided walks in several locations at night after dinner was also a nice feature.

Great experience overall. Biking, guides, Captain and crew, shipmates!

This was a great trip because of the great guides, great crew, and great cook.

Our bike/barge trip surpassed our expectations. The crew was great: the captain, the crew who took care of us on the boat, and our two guides. We really enjoyed the bonus of stopping along the route to see interesting sites or to have a treat and tea in a pretty spot. The Moselle Valley is so beautiful, and in October the colors were unexpectedly beautiful. We would definitely recommend this!

Enjoyed the camaraderie knowledge of the staff. Iris had a wonderful layout but maybe not a round sink in bathroom w faucet in center so when washing your face water goes all over

The wonderful boat, delicious food, fantastic scenery, and amazing crew and guides made for an outstanding trip!